Here's an idea: Let's disband Anonymous.

[FalloutJack]

Anon isn't a group.

The Anonymous movement is an idea, it can't be disbanded and it can't be unthought. It just is.
You can say Anonymous isn't anything any more but the fact it was something will make people think it up all over again.
You can't stop people thinking for themselves, wearing a mask and standing up and saying "No".

Huzzah! Many people in this thread understand Anonymous.

To put it simply, Anonymous is a meme. Every time you invoke it, positively or negatively, its power grows. One can't force a meme into existence, nor out of it. It's the classic Schneider's Polar Bear: don't think of a white polar bear and all you can do is think of it. Similarly, the more we try to disavow our acknowledgement of Anonymous the more we end up thinking about it.

The reason that it's not a single entity is because it's just a meme, it's just individuals liking their interpretation of a particular concept and running with it. There is no 'Anonymous' in the same way that there is no 'lolcats', there's just the individual invocations of both concepts.

Making any discussion about Anonymous is tantamount to making a discussion saying "I love Anonymous!" because all you're doing is helping to spread the meme.

Do you even know what a meme is.

Yup! A meme is the idea equivalent of an allele which succeeds because of its success in being spread amongst populations due to its ability to respond positively to the demands of the environment (the environment being, in this case, peoples' desires).

Meme != Funny copypasta. Funny copypasta is one example of a meme, not memes in and of themselves.

No, a meme is a repeated pop culture reference. People are more accurate to call it an idea because a meme is more sub-category of ideas, a KIND of idea. Anon would be another. And the line of thinking I'm having here is that if the idea isn't working, get a new one or improve upon it. This one? Not working.

 

[zehydra]

since anon technically isn't really an organization, I think they might already be considered disbanded

Here's a funny thing: I don't think they properly know that. The idea here is to sort of send the message.

Then post your OP on 4chan and see what happens.

There's not really a lot of anon on this forum. (you can tell by a lot of the comments sometimes)

4 chan isn't anonymous yes they started there but the average anon doesn't care about anonymous.

I realize that, I'm just saying that if the point to this post was to send a message to Anon, then I don't think The Escapist is the place to do it. 4Chan is the first place I can think of which would be the best place to do it, although they'll probably reject his offer.

 

[chuckey]

since anon technically isn't really an organization, I think they might already be considered disbanded

Here's a funny thing: I don't think they properly know that. The idea here is to sort of send the message.

Then post your OP on 4chan and see what happens.

There's not really a lot of anon on this forum. (you can tell by a lot of the comments sometimes)

What? They're not the Dollars (Durarara reference). They'd probably throw up a load of unintelligable responses, far worse than I would get here. I don't know who's who here and I don't pretend to want to find out.

Here's what's happening: I'm lighting a match. If it picks up something, fine. If it flickers and dies, fine. I think that if they've really lost their way, their path to the final goal, they should stop and reboot until they do it right. The current setup doesn't light the path where they want it to go. When that happens, you've gotta regroup and try something else.

And here's just a little thing that I thought of which is crazy...but it might also be true. What if Anon attacking companies and such is like companies trying to squash piracy? What if, because of its execution, it inherently can't win because of the high degrees of resistance? If that were true, then would you have them fight fruitlessly forever?

you really shouldn't underestimate them. Not making a threat but I've seen cases where they got dox on people just because they could. There are people out there who will go above and beyond lunacy just to ruin a person.

 

[HassEsser]

OP clearly has no idea what anonymoose is and thinks groups like LulzSec represent anon.

Simply put: nope. What anonymouse is, exactly, was described perfectly by Lyri earlier so I won't bother.

 

[jericu]

Oh god, you're serious, aren't you?

Anonymous cannot be disbanded. Anonymous cannot be destroyed. It is an amalgam of every halfway decent hacker who believes in free speech and the first amendment. There are no entrance fees, no members list, anyone who wishes to be a part of Anonymous may be a member of Anonymous, in however large or small a way they desire. Disband Anonymous? The idea is preposterous, and impossible. Even if it is possible, it certainly won't be achieved by making a post on an internet forum.

What's the reason for this? They've "Lost their way?" That we "Can't take anything they say at face value?" Are these problems supposed to be unique to Anonymous? Are you trying to say that any organization or group to which these phrases apply should destroyed and rebuilt from the ground up? By this reasoning, one could make the same claim about anything. Politicians. The media. Religion. The internet. Movies. Video games. The human race. You can't make a vague claim of "They don't have the RIGHT to be a group" without better reasoning than "They don't stand for what they originally stood for!" Especially since, far more than most organizations, they do still stand for what they originally stand for.

While I'm sure you have good intentions with this post, I'm almost entirely certain that it's in vain. The few members of Anonymous, if any, who read this post will most likely ignore it, leave you a troll face with a "U Mad, bro?", or send you a message with your IP address and some other information about you with a "WE ARE ANONYMOUS, FEAR US" at the bottom. As you said, you're trying to light a match, but I'm afraid it's already been dipped in a bucket of water.

 

[Pegghead]

Trying to break up anonymous would be like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. Anonymous isn't a group, it isn't a movement, it's not even that much of a label, it just kind of...is.

But for those sectors of "anonymous" that do have a sense of order (i.e key members, networks etc) you'd find it would be like pissing into the ocean.

 

[BGH122]

No, a meme is a repeated pop culture reference. People are more accurate to call it an idea because a meme is more sub-category of ideas, a KIND of idea. Anon would be another. And the line of thinking I'm having here is that if the idea isn't working, get a new one or improve upon it. This one? Not working.

meme= something only a certain group knows about.

Nope, that's not what that word means:

meme
noun
a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes.
Origin:
1976; < Gk m&#299;meîsthai to imitate, copy; coined by R. Dawkins, Brit. biologist

OK I'll just leave you to your raywilliamjohnsons and your internets

Fine by me!

No, a meme is a repeated pop culture reference. People are more accurate to call it an idea because a meme is more sub-category of ideas, a KIND of idea. Anon would be another. And the line of thinking I'm having here is that if the idea isn't working, get a new one or improve upon it. This one? Not working.

That's not what a meme is (see above). Ironically, the misunderstanding of the word meme is itself a meme; the word meme has one genuine meaning (quoted above), but the idea of it as a pop culture reference has taken a stronger hold due to its greater spread than the genuine meaning of the word.

The reason I say Anon is a meme is because it works much like all memes: its success is measured in its spread and, as it spreads, it mutates to meet the new environmental challenges it faces in its new host. If person A wants to do good from anonymity so as to avoid punishment if that do-gooding should break the law or annoy the powerful then the Anonymous meme will ring true with them and express itself in that way. If person A spreads the idea to person B, who wants to be mischievous from behind anonymity then it expresses differently.

It isn't possible to stop precisely because it's just a concept (if the genuine meaning of the word meme is buggering things up in translation) that's incredibly successful in spreading itself. That's why threads talking about Anonymous, positively or negatively, will just spread the concept.

The only way for the concept to be utterly stopped is if the environmental demands change e.g. if people decide they don't like anonymity anymore or that there's nothing appealing about the concept and hence either don't uptake the concept or don't spread it.

 

[stabbymcstabs]

Anonymous cant be stopped as it isnt an actual group, it exists though any individual person who believes it to be. As long a someone has something to say against someone else there will be an anonymous.

People can band and disband as they please as it their way of life, no group can stop it, as they are anonymous themself.

They are Anonymous

We. Are. Anonymous

 

[The Becker]

The only reason Anons have "power" (it seems) is because people acknowledge them. So in theory the only way to "disband" anonymous would be to not acknowledge them

 

[Harlief]

From what I've read, there are some good guys in Anonymous and some absolute Jerks, I think the good guys should band together and distance themselves from the rabble of attention seekers who consider themselves part of Anonymous. They should also be more selective about who they let into their group.

 

[steampunk42]

of course we can, that would just involve everyone agreeing to never unite against something we collectively may disagree in ever again. and while we are at it while dont we order the tides to go back, and for rivers to stop flowing!

 

[FalloutJack]

The only reason Anons have "power" (it seems) is because people acknowledge them. So in theory the only way to "disband" anonymous would be to not acknowledge them

Quite possibly the most concise summary of the subject at hand?

 

[Jegsimmons]

Anon isn't a group.

The Anonymous movement is an idea, it can't be disbanded and it can't be unthought. It just is.
You can say Anonymous isn't anything any more but the fact it was something will make people think it up all over again.
You can't stop people thinking for themselves, wearing a mask and standing up and saying "No".

uh .....yeah...pretty much this...also i think trying to sabotage a group is considered a crime anyway.

 

[crop52]

Nobody knows what anonymous is.

Some people say anonymous is "The Internet Hate Machine"
Some people say that anonymous is a movement against Scientology.
Some people say anonymous are just people who say that they're part of anonymous
Some people say that anonymous is whoever browses 4chan.

Since anonymous has no hierarchy or leaders, nobody can say what anonymous really is.

Just wanted to put that out there, since I'm seeing a lot people thinking that they know what anonymous is.

 

[Aprilgold]

Their an idea, the only way to kill an idea is to kill EVERYONE that has heard of the idea. Its impossible, sorry.

 

[PancakesSUCKTHEYDO]

Eh, I think the "movement" will fall apart on its own.


Due to cyber criminals (the worst kind, don't even have the balls to mug you.) attacking websites claiming to be anon. Which will lead to their demise? Also since they have no lead figure, anyone can technically make statements for them.

 

[Febel]

Disband...Anonymous.
Disband...Anonymous
I've heard some silly suggestions for dealing with them but this, this takes the cake. Good luck with that.

 

[FalloutJack]

Their an idea, the only way to kill an idea is to kill EVERYONE that has heard of the idea. Its impossible, sorry.

Or come up with a better one. Yes, the "Ideas are bulletproof" reference was made, perfectly understandable. Problem: I'm not using bullets. I'm using ideas.